Launched during their massive New 52 reboot, the supernatural superteam series Justice League Dark has since been one of DC’s most consistently great titles. But Marvel actually beat them to the punch back in 1998 by creating their own party of occult crime fighters called The Supernaturals. Released as a four-issue miniseries featuring some of the publisher’s best spooky do-gooders, the team’s brief run was an absolute hoot and is perfect reading for those looking to get into the Halloween spirit.
Taking place in a separate universe from the main Marvel Universe, the miniseries begins with a brief summary of the events leading to the formation of The Supernaturals. An earth-wide incident takes place called a “Chaos! Event” which zaps all of earth’s non-magical superheroes out of existence. Fast forward 13 years later and it appears a similar catastrophe is on the horizon, this time snatching up paranormal vigilantes throughout the world. Seeing the signs pointing to this impending calamity, the arcane arts practicing hero Brother Voodoo attempts to contact Doctor Strange to figure out the best course of action for protecting the world but discovers the Sorcerer Supreme has disappeared.
Finding Doctor Strange’s medallion in his Sanctum Sanctorum, the magical artifact urges him to seek out “The Five”, and Brother Voodoo sets out to recruit the chosen ones for his quest to stop the Chaos! Event before it begins again. He enlists Werewolf By Night, Satana, Ghost Rider, Black Cat, and the Gargoyle, and together they square off against a variety of classic monsters, including The Mummy, Count Dracula, and Frankenstein’s Monster. Eventually, they have a final showdown against the entity behind the mysterious disasters, the diabolical Jack O’Lantern!
The series is pure 90’s cheesiness and nostalgia in the most endearing way possible. Writers Brian Pulido (Lady Death, Evil Erine) and Marc Andreyko (Batwoman, Wonder Woman ‘77) were obviously having a blast when writing The Supernaturals, embracing its pulp potential with vigor. One-liners fly as our heroes battle practically every kind of monster to grace the screens of any reputable late-night horror movie marathon. Ivan Reis’ artwork shines bright, bringing all matter of hulking beast and ghastly ghoulie to life. And on top of all that, each issue came with a different cutout monster mask to wear for Halloween! How could you NOT love this book?
After the finale of their miniseries, The Supernaturals were basically retired. Its members would obviously appear in other books throughout the years, but Marvel’s paranormal powerhouse of a superhero team was banished to that sad nether-realm populated by forgotten one-shots and other discarded titles. But with the success of DC’s Justice League Dark, maybe we’ll eventually see the old gang reunite to fight another spooky threat in the future.